Pretear: The New Life
by Femm
Summary: It has been several years since the incident with Finrir and the Leafe Knights, unlike Himeno, haven't changed in the least. The birth of Himeno's first child proves problematic for the Knights, but little do they know that she is to be their new savior.
1. The Wonders of Fate

_**The Wonders of Fate**_

**Himeno Awayuki was hoping that her life wouldn't change from how it was now. She had seven close friends, a family that loved her again, and a new look on life. She couldn't have wished for more… but as she grew older, her friends did not and now at twenty- five she knew that her great life had slowly become a normal one.**

"**Well, I guess I should finally ask you guys why you haven't aged any in the past eleven years" Himeno sighed. She had short, light pink hair and light pink eyes. **

**A young man with short white hair sighed as well. "Even we don't know" he replied in a gentle voice. His light grey eyes were full of kindness behind his glasses.**

**The eight comrades were quiet for a while when suddenly a young man of twenty- three walked over. He had medium black hair and warm, brown eyes. "Himeno, are you ready…?" He questioned kindly.**

"**In a minute…" she replied.**

**Another young man looked at the two for a second then questioned, "Who the hell is he?" He had dark moonlight blue hair pulled into a very loose ponytail and serious dark blue eyes.**

"**Hayate… this is my fiancé, Kanzen…" she replied nervously.**

**The other six young men looked at Hayate quickly, wondering if he would be mad or just let this happened. Then again, they hadn't aged for years and Himeno would soon be too old for the eighteen year old. He really had no decision in this, Himeno would be married to someone other than him and there was nothing any of them could do about it.**

**Goh, sixteen, had spiky brown hair with red through it. Kei was also sixteen, he had blonde hair that was tied in a ponytail and lying on the top of his head. Mannen was ten with ice blue eyes and white spiky hair. Hajime was seven with orange hair and blue-green eyes. Shin was the youngest, a three year old with blond hair and leaf green eyes.**

**Sasame, the other sixteen year old with a kind voice, looked at Himeno slightly surprised.**

**She blushed and sighed, "I'm sorry, I have to go so I'll talk to you guys when I get home." She looked at Hayate for a second before leaving the seven behind to follow Kanzen out of the yard. **

"**So…umm…" Mannen looked over at Hayate nervously before continuing, "Himeno's gonna get married to that guy?"**

**Kei crossed his arms as he always did when he was going to answer someone with serious thought. "It seems that way. Does this mean we're going to need a new Prétear?" **

**The others stayed quiet, pondering this for the first time. It had taken them a while to find Himeno, who knew how long it would take them to find another one. Plus she was the best Prétear they had ever had… another one wouldn't be able to measure up to her abilities. **

"**But we'll never find another Prétear like Himeno… Do we even need to find another Prétear? I mean, Himeno will always be around, right? We can always count on her when the time comes… right?" Mannen questioned nervously.**

"**If she's found someone to spend the rest of her life with… I don't think she'll even talk to us any more" Goh sighed.**

**Hayate turned to leave when Sasame moved in his way. "What do you think we should do, Hayate?" He questioned kindly.**

"**I think you guys should forget about Himeno being the Prétear because the way I see it, she's too busy with her fiancé to bother saving the world" Hayate replied, pushing Sasame out of his way and walking to the forest which surrounded the mansion Himeno and her family lived in.**

**Just as he left, Himeno came running back to the remaining six males standing in her yard. She was carrying envelopes in her hands, smiling happily as she stopped in front of her friends. Looking around she questioned, "Where did Hayate go?"**

"**He went for a walk, I'm sure he'll be back tonight Himeno" Goh replied, trying to keep the real reason from being said.**

"**Oh… Well, here are the invitations for you guys. Sasame, do you mind giving Hayate his invitation for me?"**

"**I guess that shouldn't be a problem… what are the invitations for?" Sasame questioned as she gave them to each Leaf****é Knight.**

**The seven were known as the Leafe Knights, protectors of all Leafe**** in the universe. **

"**Well…" she paused then answered, "Kanzen and I are getting married… tomorrow."**

**They gasped at her response and looked at each other nervously. If Hayate didn't like what she told them before, he was going to hate what he was going to learn next.**

"**Why so soon?" Kei questioned.**

"**Well… the reason for that is because… I'm pregnant." She replied.**

**Well, he's going to die now… Kanzen that is, Hayate's going to kill him for sure. The knights stared at her and she looked at the ground. **

"**You wanted to know… we were going to wait for another year but then this came up so we're getting married tomorrow. You guys don't have to come if you don't want to, but…"**

"**It will depend" Goh said.**

"**Hey Himeno…" Mannen and Hajime started."You'll still be the Prétear right..? We can always count on you if the time comes…?" They questioned hopefully.**

**She looked at the two children sadly, before shaking her head. "I'm sorry but now that I'm going to have a family… I won't be able to help you guys any more. You'll have to find a new Prétear, I'm sorry" she muttered before turning and leaving the six once again.**

"**Now what are we going to do?!" Mannen cried nervously. "Who knows how long it will take to find a new Prétear! What if demon larvae come back before we find a new one?!"**

"**Mannen, calm down… We'll find someone before that day comes" Sasame told him, unsure of this himself. **

**The ten year old looked at him and questioned again, "What if we don't? The worlds will be destroyed and it'll be all our fault because we couldn't find a new Prétear!" **

**Hajime looked at Mannen before turning his attention to the bushes near the spot they were standing now. "Guys" he whispered, "let's drop this… we have an ally listening in the bushes…"**

**Sasame looked over slightly and noticed him too, Hayate was standing behind a tree near the bushes fully aware of what they were talking about. He pushed off of the tree and began to walk away from them when a vine wrapped around his ankle.**

**Sighing he looked over to the others, "Shin, let me go" he told the three year old.**

**Shin shook his head and the vine tightened around the eldest Leafe Knight's ankle. Mannen smiled slightly, "looks like he doesn't want you to give up on Himeno yet, maybe we shouldn't either" he laughed.**

**Hayate glared slightly, but said nothing. **_**She even told them herself she was going to be too busy to help us… why do they believe she'll always be here for us when a battle comes and we need her help…? They just don't understand.**_** "Shin" he started and with that one word the vine pulled back quickly, sending him face first into the ground.**__

**The group turned to Shin quickly about to tell him to let Hayate go when they noticed he wasn't there anymore. He was over near a stream which ran the whole way around the Awayuki house. **_**But if it wasn't Shin… then who…? **_** Then a white light surrounded the knights and their "normal Earth clothes" changed into their Leafé Knight uniforms.**

**Hayate's tan coat, black shirt, black shoes, and blue pants changed into a dark blue uniform with gold in places. He sat up and with a move of his hand a strip of wind cut through the vine which was holding him to the ground. Standing up he looked around but couldn't find the demon larvae which had caught him. **

**Mannen's clothes changed from an orange top and blue shorts to a white shirt with yellow markings, white pants and a light blue belt and a short white cape. **

"**I'll look around the gardens on the east of the house with Hajime and Shin" he volunteered.**

**Hajime, now wearing a light blue shirt and light green pants, nodded.**

"**That sounds good to me."**

**A big green hat, which was bigger than the child's head, along with a green gown was Shin's new clothes. He nodded as well and the three children disappeared, reappearing on the other side of the house and began their search.**

**Kei's clothes changed from white to yellow with a yellow cape on his left side and an orange-yellow long glove on his right arm. **

"**Goh and I can check around here then."**

"**Alright, let's go" he was wearing a red, long sleeved, short open shirt over a short white shirt with shoulder protectors and red pants. His stomach was showing slightly.**

"**I'll check the south" Sasame added. His white clothes didn't change much, but he was now wearing a long white cape as well. **

**Hayate nodded, "Then I'll check the north and then the house. We'll meet Mannen and the others at the east once our search is finished." The others nodded and then disappeared to search their areas.**

**After a few hours the group was back together and slightly confused. **

"**Where could it have gone in such a short time…?" Kei pondered out loud.**

"**Worse than that, why is there a demon larvae hanging around now of all times?" Hajime questioned.**

"**My thoughts exactly" Sasame sighed. "Why would it suddenly appear once Himeno has given up on being the Prétear? It just doesn't make sense."**

"**Well, we can't just stand around here all day wondering what's going on; we have to find a new Prétear" Hayate said, pushing off of the tree he was leaning on. "We'll come back here every night to rest."**

**Agreeing, the others disappeared to search the city for another Prétear. What they didn't know, was that the new Prétear was yet to be born…**


	2. Five Years and Still Waiting

Author's notes:

**Sorry, I managed to forget to put anything on the first one -_-' That was my first time putting on a part of my fanfiction, so please don't be too hard on me, I'm just learning how things work. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this story, I started it a few years ago so don't be too hard on the poor workmanship; I'll let you know when the newer chapters come.**

**Alright, so…Disclaimer: I don't own Pretear in any way, shape or form, however I do own my OCs as well as the ideas for this story!**

_**Five Years and Still Waiting **_

"**Any luck?" Himeno questioned as the seven tired comrades walked into the house.**

**Hayate shook his head, "looks like this will take longer than I thought" he sighed.**

**Kanzen walked into the room from the living room. "Nothing again, huh? Himeno, if the time comes you can always help them" he said gently.**

**She shook her head; "I'm too busy now…" she started.**

"**What, too busy to save the world?" Hayate questioned angrily. **

**The room was silent until another child walked into the room, rubbing her eyes. She was five years old with deep auburn, almost brown, straight hair that reached almost to her shoulders and deep blue eyes. She stopped once noticing the seven, strangers to her, males. All eyes were focused on her and after a few minutes she finally managed to speak. **

"**Hello…" she said, looking at each new face in turn. "My name is-"she was cut off as Kanzen picked her up.**

"**Back to bed with you, tomorrow is another day of school so you need to rest" he said as he began walking down the hall to his daughter's room.**

"**But…" she started, instead of arguing she moved so that she could see the strangers one last time. "Umm… Good night, maybe I'll see you again. Hopefully sooner more then later…" she muttered more to herself then actually telling them. Her expression hadn't changed much, but it looked like she was sadder now then she had been when she first came out. **

**Once the two were out of sight Hayate along with the others looked over at Himeno angrily. "I thought you told us your new born child didn't survive?!" Hayate questioned, his body full of rage. She didn't want them to know she still had the child, but for what reason would she have for keeping that from them? **

**Looking at the ground Himeno replied, "I didn't want her to know that while she's growing you seven weren't. She's still young so I was going to wait until she was at least fourteen before letting her meet you guys. Then again… now that you've met her, do you seven mind being her guardians?"**

"**Guardians? You're asking us this after we just found out, five years later, that your child is still alive? Why should we?" Hayate questioned.**

"**She doesn't have any friends Hayate; I was hoping you seven could at least be her guardians so she has someone other than Kanzen and me to talk to. Please guys… be her guardians, if not for me then for her" Himeno pleaded.**

"**I'll be a guardian!" Mannen volunteered.**

"**Me too" Hajime smiled.**

"**Yeah" Shin nodded.**

"**Well… I guess I could be a guardian… I mean we can't just let these kids do all of the work, now can we guys?" Goh smiled and ruffled Mannen's hair.**

"**I'm not a kid!" Mannen yelled angrily.**

"**I suppose I could be a guardian as well" Kei said with a slight sigh.**

"**Of course, I will accept the responsibilities of being her guardian" Sasame smiled kindly, as always.**

**Hayate glared slightly but then nodded. "Fine, I'll accept the responsibilities of being her guardian as well."**

"**That's great!" Himeno smiled, "thanks for understanding guys."**

**At that moment Kanzen walked back in the room. "I managed to get her back to sleep but I had to promise her something first" he started.**

"**What?" She questioned him when he didn't finish.**

"**I had to promise that one of the strangers, as she called them, would take her to school tomorrow instead of one of us" he replied, "and she wants to meet them without someone interfering."**

"**Oh that's all?" Himeno questioned sarcastically.**

"**You don't mind, do you?" **

"**Not right now I don't" she sighed.**

"**Great, so which of you will be taking her tomorrow?"**

**The Knights looked at each other a moment before a certain white haired kid volunteered. "I'll do it! I'll take her to school!" Mannen volunteered happily.**

"**Sure you're man enough to take her to school by yourself?" Goh teased.**

"**Yeah, I can do it!" He said in an annoyed tone.**

"**Great, then you should get to sleep" Goh laughed slightly, ruffling Mannen's hair again.**

"**I'll go to bed when I'm-"he was cut off by a yawn. "Fine, I'll go to bed…" he muttered. **

**Mannen awoke to the sound of someone saying something. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times to focus on the face above him.**

"**Good morning sleepyhead" a girl smiled slightly.**

"**Oh, you're the girl from last night" Mannen muttered sleepily, then jumped up. "Its morning already?!" He yelled.**

**She nodded, "yeah and you might want to keep it down a little, your friends are still sleeping. Come on, I'll show you where my school is and then you can come back and a have a nice nap."**

"**I'm not fi-"he stopped. "I'm too old for naps" he said quickly. "So come on, I gotta get you to school now right?"**

"**Yeah" she nodded again. "Let's go"**

**After grabbing her book bag she took the lead as they walked through the gate and onto the sidewalk which led to town. "It isn't really far, but if you don't want to go the whole way with me you can go back home" she said in an emotionless tone.**

**He looked at her a minute before looking the other way and putting his hands behind his head. "No way, I'm gonna take you to school then I'll go home. It's my duty."**

"**But aren't you only doing this because my parents asked you to?"**

"**No, I wanted to take you to school… I need something to do in the morning anyway." He wasn't really lying, her parents did ask one of them to take her but he had volunteered to do this himself.**

**They walked in silence another few minutes before she stopped. "What's wrong?" Mannen questioned.**

"**This is my school" she replied, "You can go home now."**

"**Oh, alright… I'll see ya tonight then" he said and watched as she walked into the school yard. **

**As she walked into the school she pasted three kids who looked at her disapprovingly and shook their heads. **_**Man, even at that age kids can be mean… talking about others behind their back and looking on as if they shouldn't be there. Now I know why she's so depressed. Poor kid… **_**Mannen thought then turned and ran back home.**

**He slammed the door as he ran into the house and tried to catch his breath. **

"**What the hell?!" Goh yelled, jumping off of the coach. "Mannen?"**

"**You should…" he started breathlessly. He took a deep breath then tried again. "You should see the looks they give her behind her back. It's like they want nothing more than to see her disappear."**

"**You woke me up just to tell me that?" Goh questioned grumpily.**

**Mannen glared."Of course I did! If we're her guardians then we all have to figure out why she's so depressed!"**

"**What's with all of the yelling?" Kei questioned, walking into the room with his arms folded.**

"**I was just…" Mannen started.**

"**He woke me up!" Goh yelled his reply.**

**Kei waited for Mannen to finish. "I was just telling him what I seen while taking umm… her to school" Mannen sighed.**

"**And what would that be?" Kei asked him.**

"**The way she's treated, it's like all of the kids hate her…"**

"**What are you three talking about?" Sasame questioned, walking in from the dining room.**

"**I… Look, I'm not repeating myself six times" Mannen said, annoyed.**

"**Well then, we can tell Hayate, Hajime, and Shin later if they ask" Kei replied.**

"**Fine" He muttered, "it's like the kids at school hate her, alright?"**

"**That's why…" someone muttered from behind the coach.**

**The five jumped and looked over to see Himeno standing up from her kneeling position. "That must be why she won't talk about school and why she doesn't have any friends yet… I never noticed that before…" she muttered.**

"**Well, now she has us! We'll be her friends and she won't be so alone any more" Mannen announced with a smile. "We can help her."**

**That night, around seven, everyone was setted in the living room. "Now we can finally meet" the five year old said.**

"**Yes, do you mind going first?" Sasame questioned gently.**

**She nodded. "My name is Shizuka Awayuki, Mom never changed her last name and she didn't want me to either."**

"**I'm Mannen" the young Leafé Knight smiled.**

"**I'm Hajime" he smiled as well.**

"**I'm Goh, and this little guy here is Shin" he said, ruffling the child's hair.**

"**I am Kei; it's a pleasure to meet you."**

"**I'm Sasame" he nodded slightly with a kind smile.**

**Shizuka looked over at the last young man, waiting for him to introduce himself. He stayed silent instead and kept his gaze fixed on the wall. Sighing, Shizuka stood and, with the others watching, she walked over to where he was standing."I believe it's your turn…" she started but then stopped and quickly put a hand on her forehead. "What…what is this pain…?" She muttered.**

**A few seconds later Sasame looked over to the door, "It's a demon larvae!" He cried.**

"**Has it taken root?" The other man questioned quickly.**

"**I don't think so" Sasame replied. **

**The group walked over to the door and opened it; just on the other side was what looked like a scaly ball with an eye which had a sharp pupil. In a second Mannen had a ball of ice in his hands and threw it at the creature. It was frozen just as the ice hit.**

"**Alright!" He cried in triumph.**

**Once the larvae was frozen Shizuka removed her hand from her throbbing head, which was no longer throbbing. "What…?" She whispered to herself. **

**The young men looked over at her for a second then went back to where they were sitting. "If you want an explanation, you'll have to wait until you're older" Goh told her.**

"**I don't want an explanation right now" she said, "what I want is to know **_**all**_** of your names." She looked at the man again, but still he said nothing. Finally Shizuka moved away from him, going around him and heading for the door; stopping just short of it. **

**Everyone was quiet, wondering what she was going to do. They got their answer quicker than they thought. Shizuka turned around and quickly, yet surprisingly quietly, ran and jumped onto his back. He jumped slightly, surprised by the action.**

"**Now" she said with slight amusement in her voice, "tell me your name."**

"**My name is Hayate" he replied.**

"**Was that hard?" She questioned.**

"**Not as hard as having you hanging off my back" he replied.**

**She sighed, "Adults can be so mean… but…" her voice became filled with sadness and she continued quietly, "but not as mean as your own classmates' words…"**

**The group looked at her sadly and Hayate sighed. "But… don't get the idea I let that bother me…" she said quickly. "I don't care about what they think about me, I don't even know them… so… I don't let their words get to me."**

"**You seem to have a big vocabulary for a five year old" Goh said, "and you know a lot more than five year olds normally would even understand."**

"**Hm?" She looked at him a minute then felt herself slipping so began to jump down, but Hayate hooked his arms under her legs and pushed her up farther onto his back. "Well, I get more time to myself then normal five year olds do" she told them.**

"**That's true…" Goh muttered.**

**Himeno came in at that moment and then noticed Shizuka and Hayate. She smiled then said, "It's time for bed, you have to get up early tomorrow for school."**

**Her face fell slightly, even though you wouldn't have exactly noticed since she looked sad in the first place. "Alright" she sighed and reluctantly started to climb off of Hayate's back, but to her surprise he held on tighter and started walking toward her room.**

"**I'll take her to school tomorrow" he said as he walked past Himeno and down the hall toward Shizuka's room. **

**The next day, Shizuka walked silently beside Hayate as they walked to school.**

"**Hayate…" she started, not sure of what to say at first. "How do you know my mother?"**

"**We can talk about that when you're older, alright?" He said, his voice harsh.**

"**Alright," she sighed, "I was just trying to make conversation; I don't get to talk to people very often so I just figured I would try to talk with you before I got to school, but…"**

"**But we're here," Hayate finished for her.**

"**Yeah, and if you want to pick me up after school, then you'll have to come later tonight, I have something I need to do after school. Mother or Father can tell you what time to get me," Shizuka informed him, walking onto school property. **

**She silently walked past a group of kids as they watched her disapprovingly, some scared, others looking to be angry. Hayate watched carefully as she walked into the school. **_**Why would they be scared or angry at someone they had never met? It makes no sense…**_

**Throughout the whole day Hayate stayed just outside of the school property, watching over Shizuka as she went through her classes until the children were dismissed. She had been the only one that stayed behind, but then a young male teenager greeted her with a kind smile, a sword sheathed at his side.**

"**Are you ready for your training, Miss Shizuka?" His voice was kind and innocent. He had gentle brown eyes and black hair that reached just past his shoulders.**

"**Yes," she nodded, a sheathed sword clenched in her hands. **

"**Good, strap your sword on and show me what you can do now."**

**Nodding, she strapped the sheath to her side, moving into a fighting stance. "I'm ready when you are, sensei." **

"**So far so good, let us begin…" he ran forward, trying to throw a punch at her stomach but she quickly jumped back, running to the side after landing.**

**She kicked him in the side, jumping back then quickly ran to be behind him as he tried to grab her throat. Getting to her destination, she hit him multiple times in the back before kicking him again, using the force to do a summersault in the air before landing easily on her feet.**

"**Good, let's test your knowledge of the sword now, show me your strength," he instructed, unsheathing his sword.**

"**Right," she quickly unsheathed her sword, running forward she quickly jumped up, struggling under the weight of the large sword clenched in both hands. **

**Forcing the blade down as she landed, she caught his sword, forcing herself back and landing neatly on her feet. She quickly ran forward, smashing her blade against his and in a second she managed to get it out of his tightly clenched hand.**

"**Great job as always Miss Shizuka," the male smiled, "no matter how tight I clench that sword, you always manage, I wonder how you can do it."**

"**Thank you, sensei…" Shizuka sheathed her sword before bowing. "It really isn't hard to use a sword though…"**

"**Well, either way, you did great, you don't have to call me sensei anymore," he had sheathed his sword and now was standing beside the child. "You may call me by my name, now that you've beat me fifteen times, you are the new Master of the Sword around here."**

"**But…" she started.**

"**Just call me by my name," he placed a hand gently on her head.**

"**Alright… Yasashii Konpaku."**

"**Close enough," he laughed lightly, ruffling her hair. "You better get home, it'll be late soon, wouldn't want to worry your parents."**

"**Alright, see you next week Yasashii-sensei," she nodded, running over to the gate.**

**Hayate watched as she approached him calmly, as if his being there wasn't a surprise.**

"**What did you think of my training?" She questioned lightly as they walked down the sidewalk toward home.**

"**I'm wondering why your parents have let that teenager train you, you're too young to wield a sword," Hayate replied.**

"**I may be young, but I have a lot of talent, Yasashii told me that…" she whispered.**

"**Even if you're talented, that doesn't mean you have to begin training at such an age," Hayate shook his head, "I don't care anyway, it will be your own fault if you get hurt."**

"**That's right, so you can just stop worrying about me and don't pick me up until this time tomorrow," she muttered, running into the house and gently closing the door.**

"**Welcome home Shizuka," Himeno smiled, "have fun training with Yasashii?" **

"**Of course mother," she nodded, walking past her toward the living room.**

"**Hey, Shizuka's home!" Mannen smiled as he noticed her walk into the room.**

"**I don't need any of you to accompany me to school tomorrow," she told them, walking past to her room.**

"**Hayate must have done something," Goh sighed, "man he's even mean to kids."**

**Shizuka sighed, laying down on her bed, hands behind her head. "I know I over reacted, I should apologize to him…" she muttered, "to all of them."**

**There was a light knock on the door followed by a gentle voice. "Shizuka, may I come in?"**

"**Yes, Sasame," she muttered.**

**He opened the door and walked in, quietly closing it behind him. He walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. "Is there anything you want to talk to me about?"**

**She shook her head, "No, I don't need anyone to talk to, but thank you for offering…"**

"**If you ever need to talk, I'll be here to listen," he smiled, leaving the room.**

"**He's nice…" she muttered, getting out of bed and walking over to the door.**

**She left the room and entered the living room. "Guys, I'm sorry for telling you I didn't need any of you to come with me tomorrow, I didn't mean it… But none of you have to come with me if you don't want to."**

"**I'll take you tomorrow," Sasame offered.**

"**Thank you…" she smiled slightly.**

**Hayate walked into the living room, ignoring the slight glares he received from his fellow Leafé Knights.**

"**Hayate…" she looked at the floor, "I'm sorry about…"**

"**I will not accept your apologizes," he said plainly, "and you will not be forgiven."**

"**Hayate," Goh glared, "how can you be so mean?"**

"**No," Shizuka shook her head lightly, once again emotionless. "It's fine, he shouldn't forgive me, I don't mind that fact. I'm… I'll go to school by myself tomorrow, Sasame; you don't have to pick me up if you really don't want to." She turned, going back to her room.**

"**Good going Hayate," Mannen sighed.**

**The Next Day**

"**Miss Shizuka, I brought a friend of mine to go against you this time," Yasashii waved lightly. "I would like you to meet my older brother, a sword master."**

**Shizuka looked over, "I'm only supposed to fight you, Yasashii-sensei."**

"**But I'm not even worth your time, don't worry, my brother won't hurt you, I promise."**

"**Alright…" she muttered, unsheathing her sword.**

**The two ran forward, smashing their blades together. Yasashii's older brother was a lot stronger than Shizuka and she was forced back, jumping back quickly and trying to get the sword out of his hand, but he was much quicker. He managed to get the sword out of her hand in a second, slashing her left arm down to her side, then slashed her left cheek.**

"**Isn't pain a wonderful feeling child? Now that you've felt the steel of a sword run through your flesh, I would advise you to give up on wielding a sword, it's far too powerful. I do admit you have a lot of potential; you're strong for such a young child, almost as strong as me actually. If we were to fight again when you were seven, I'm sure you would win, but the question is, are you willing to continue with your training after this?"**

**Shizuka was breathing heavily, blood running down her left side. "No, I will continue, and I will go against you again when I'm seven…"**

"**Brave child, though what will your parents say after seeing you in that condition?"**

"**I won't let them know…"**

"**Have fun trying to deal with the wounds alone then child, we may or may not see each other again." He walked away with Yasashii close behind.**

**Sighing heavily, Shizuka took out the bandages she had in her pocket, going over to the lake a little ways into the forest behind her school. Carefully cleaning the wounds, she gently began to wrap her wounds. Once finished she sighed, knowing that her parents would see her torn clothes before she made it to her room.**

"**Good thing I have money," she muttered, walking to the nearest store. "I'm glad I told Sasame not to come if he didn't want to, if any of them found out then they'd probably go straight to my mother about it; that would ruin everything…"**

**She easily found a shirt identical to the one she was wearing, buying it and changing before leaving, throwing out the torn shirt. "No one will care, and no one will notice, the scratch on my face can be from tripping during training… that's easy enough to believe."**

**About half-way home she could hear faint footsteps behind her and stopped. "Who's there?" she questioned without turning. Receiving no answer, she turned around. "…What are you doing here, Sasame?"**

"**You're mother was worried that you hadn't come back yet so she asked me to come find you," he replied.**

"**How long have you been following me?"**

"**Not long, only five minutes, you actually noticed my presence much faster than I had thought."**

"**Oh…" she muttered, "Well, let's get home."**

"**I might as well let you know now though," Sasame began as they entered the gate to the Awayuki mansion, "that we haven't seen Hayate today."**

"**Where did he go?" Shizuka questioned emotionlessly.**

"**We're not sure; I just thought I would inform you, that's all."**

"**Well, thanks for the information, I hope that you don't think I'm rude or anything, but I would like to go to my room now, so if you'll excuse me…" she walked into the house, slowly going to her room.**

**She closed the door as soon as she made it inside, turning around she wasn't surprised to see Hayate sitting on the edge of her bed.**

"**Stalker," Shizuka muttered, "I told you and the others not to come."**

"**I just wanted to watch you practice again, but I hadn't thought either of them would actually hurt you," Hayate sighed, "I'm sorry for not realizing it sooner."**

"**You didn't even bother helping me with the wounds, why? If you were going to let me know that you were following me in the first place, why didn't you help me?"**

"**I had planned on telling Himeno about the little incident you were in, but once I was half-way here I decided that instead of telling her, I would train you instead, that way you won't be able to get hurt again."**

"**I thought you didn't like the fact that I was learning the way of the sword at such a young age."**

"**I've decided that you're ready for some real training, but it won't start until those wounds of yours are healed."**

"**I guess that's fair enough," Shizuka stated, walking over to sit gently on the bed beside Hayate. "Thanks for not telling my Mother about what happened…and for deciding to help me train."**

"**Don't think that I'm going to be nice to you all the time from now on, because I'm not and just because I decided to train you doesn't mean I like you either. Are we clear on all that?" He glanced over at her, noticing her look slowly to the floor, her eyes vacant. **

"**Yeah," she replied, voice soft, "I understand."**

"**Good," he sighed, standing up, "I'll see you in a few days then." As he began to walk out of the room Shizuka stood, a slightly confused look on her face.**

"**But Hayate, why in a few days, won't I see you tomorrow as well?" **

"**No, now that I'm going to be training you, you're not going to see much of me anymore, I don't want to become attached to you," he replied, closing the door silently behind him.**

"**So strange," she muttered, laying carefully down on her bed, staring at the ceiling, placing an arm over her forehead. "Ever since I've met my new guardians, I keep getting this headache…I wonder what's going on…"**


	3. A Few Years Later

Alright, so here's yet another chapter of my story. This one was just written last summer, so I hope you enjoy. I'm sure you'll notice the slight improvement in my writing between the first two chapters and this one. Please let me know what you think! ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Prétear in any way, shape, or form, the only thing that I own are my OCs as well as the ideas for this story!

_**A Few Years Later**_

**Shizuka quickly dodged the on coming attack, her blade tightly clenched in her right hand. She had gotten used to the weight of it, now able to easily wield the sword with a single hand. Her eyes narrowed as her opponent suddenly appeared at her side, their blade coming quickly toward her abdomen. She roughly blocked the attack, using the force to jump high into the air, doing a quick summersault before bringing her sword toward their head. Her first attack was easily blocked, although when she landed and brought her sword back around, she managed to lay a hit, a long gash being created on their arm.**

"**Good work," Hayate stated, "that's enough training for today Shizuka, I don't think your Mother approves of you hurting me," he nodded behind her and she turned, sighing as she noticed the anxious expression on Himeno's face.**

"**Mother-." She started, knowing full well that she would be quickly interrupted and was.**

"**You shouldn't be hurting your guardian, Shizuka! You may be seven years old now but that still doesn't mean you can spill someone's blood! It's wrong; promise me that you'll never do it again!"**

"**Oh Himeno," Mannen began, "don't be mean to her, it's not like she really hurt him that much, besides, how do you expect her to get any better if she can't even lay a hit on him?"**

"**She never made Yasashii bleed when she trained with him," Himeno retorted, "so why does she have to make Hayate bleed to get better?"**

"**Maybe 'cause that Yasashii guy was a wimp and she knew it," Hajime joked and Mannen snickered, both receiving rough slaps on the back of the head. **

"**Oh come on Himeno, stop being so protective, you know she's not going to be a little kid forever, she's gonna grow up and be strong, just like you were when we first met you," Mannen sighed.**

"**I was fourteen when I met you guys, she's not even close to being that age, stop trying to make her grow up faster than she's supposed to be," she demanded.**

"**Mother," Shizuka repeated, "they're not making me grow up any faster than I was before, if **

**anything they're making me realize how much fun it is to be young. I love being able to hang around Mannen and the others, they make me feel like I really have some friends. This training isn't making me feel any older; it's just letting me know that I can protect myself if I were to be attacked." **

**Kanzen came behind Himeno, gently wrapping his arms around her waste. "You know she's right honey, being able to train gives her the strength to keep herself safe and the plus side is she enjoys it and can now fully enjoy her childhood with Mannen, Hajime, and Shin."**

"**Alright," Himeno sighed, "I give up, there's no arguing with you guys. Oh…" she gave Shizuka a kinder look, "I should probably tell you…you're going to have a little brother or sister soon."**

**Shizuka froze, staring at her mother in surprise. "I-I'm going to have a sibling…? But Mother…we didn't need anyone else in our family, why…?" her body was trembling slightly, but she quickly got in control of herself, her eyes becoming emotionless as her body became still again. "Sorry about my first response, it's great that I'm going to have a sibling, when will we be getting him or her?"**

"**Not long now," Himeno stated, rubbing her overgrown stomach, "maybe a week or so, possibly less, possibly more." **

"**I see, well, that's great…oh, Mother, I'll be home late this Friday, I have an after school activity."**

"**Well, I'm sure you'll be alright coming home on your own, but if you want I can get one of the others to meet you at school. What time will you be done?"**

"**I'm not sure, all I know is that I should be home by sunset."**

"**That late? What kind of after school activity is this?"**

"**Just a meeting of clubs, nothing important, but I have to be there, the others insisted."**

"**Oh, did you finally make some friends at school?" Himeno's voice was hopeful, but as her daughter's expression didn't change, she became doubtful again.**

"**No, I haven't, they probably just want me there so they can b- well, so they can have someone to complain to. As I said, it's noting important so don't worry about it, alright? No one has to meet me, and if I don't get home that night don't worry or send someone after me, it just means that we stayed the night at school."**

"**Shizuka, if this was serious, you'd let us know, wouldn't you?"Kanzen questioned what the others were wondering. "You wouldn't just be going there so those people can beat you up, are you?"**

"**Of course not Father, don't worry about it," she stated dryly, sheathing her sword as she walked away from them, toward the stone benches in their large yard. She laid down on one of the cold benches, sighing slightly as she closed her eyes, placing an arm over them. **

"**You were lying to them, weren't you?" Sasame's kind voice came suddenly, though she had already sensed his presence before hand.**

"**Perhaps I was, but it won't matter," she replied, voice still holding little to no emotion. "They're going to have another child, which means that you guys will be their guardians as well…I won't be able to hang around you as much anymore."**

"**Is that really all you're worried about?" his voice was so warm and kind, it was so strange how much it could sooth Shizuka's mind.**

"**It might be, but it might not. I don't really know myself right now," she sighed lightly. She felt Sasame sit down beside her head, his arms gently wrapping around her abdomen, carefully moving her so that her head was resting on his lap. **

"**So you don't even know what your mind and heart is trying to tell you, huh? You can tell me anything you want, and it will just be between you and me. I won't tell anyone else what you've told me, no matter who that person may be. You can trust me, Shizuka, you know that."**

"**Yeah, I know…" she sighed faintly. "Well…it is mostly the fact that you guys won't be around me anymore…but it's also the fact that **_**I'll**_** be their older sibling…"**

"**What do you mean…? The teachers didn't treat you any differently, did they?" **

"**They did, actually…everyone was scared of me, I tried asking them why, they always said that they **

**didn't know, there was just something about me that bothered them. If people find out that I have a brother or sister, they might treat them the same way, they could get bullied…" **

"**I see…so you're worried about their wellbeing, there's nothing wrong with that," Sasame's voice continued to work it's magic, causing Shizuka to feel comfortable enough to open her eyes, looking straight into the gentle grey ones that belonged to her guardian. **

"**No, there's nothing wrong with that, but if they get hurt at school, if they get bullied and ignored, it will all be **_**my**_** fault…"**

"**You won't know that unless it happens," he assured her, gently stroking her hair. "Don't worry about that right now, Shizuka, it will be four years yet before your little brother or sister will be starting school."**

"**I know…and I'll try not to think about it. Thanks Sasame, for always being here for me…" she hugged him gently before sitting up. "Well, guess I should try and find something to do now, it's almost time for me to go to bed. Don't want to waste the rest of the day before school. I'll see you later Sasame, and thanks again." She jumped up, her shoulder length hair moving swiftly from the quick movement. **

"**Alright, and no need to thank me," he smiled, watching as she ran over to Mannen and Hajime. His smile faded as he felt the familiar presence of a fellow Leafe Knight. "You heard everything, didn't you? Are you really that concerned about her, to eavesdrop?"**

**Hayate sighed, sitting down beside Sasame. "You're the only one she can open up to, thanks to that voice of yours. It was the only way for me to find out what was bothering her."**

"**You know you can't let her know you've learned what's on her mind, I promised not to tell anyone and she would have been able to feel your presence had you been any closer."**

"**I know that…but something I don't get…is why those people fear her. If something about her bothers them, it must have something to do with her aura, or even just the way she's so secluded, even because she's so much more knowledgeable."**

"**I get where you're coming from, Hayate, but we can't just go to her school and ask her classmates and teachers what it is."**

"**That may be true, but I'm going to watch over her on Friday, I want to know what's going to happen at school that night."**

"**I'd have to agree, maybe we should bring everyone along, just incase."**

"**You don't think I'd be able to deal with things on my own?"**

"**It would be horrible if you made the mistake of revealing your ability to Shizuka before Himeno wants you to, now wouldn't it? Then we'd have to deal with them both."**

**Sighing, Hayate gave in, "alright, all of you can come with me, but we'll have to be careful."**

"**Aren't we always?"**

**That Friday, Awayuki Mansion**

"**Oh my god…" Himeno's eyes widened and she looked quickly over to the eight males sitting around her. "I-I think my water just broke."**

"**Ew," Mannen made a face, "wait…that means you're gonna have the baby soon, right?"**

"**Kanzen, hurry and get the car, we'll get Himeno ready for you," Goh commanded, shoving Kanzen toward the door.**

**Hayate and Sasame were at Himeno's side in a heartbeat, each gently putting their arms around her for support, helping her toward the door. "Mannen, Hajime, Shin, go get her suitcase, it's right near the door to her room. Hurry!" Hayate demanded, he and Sasame vanishing with Himeno. **

"**Of course, we have to do the lame part of the whole thing," Mannen complained. "C'mon Hajime, Shin, let's get it and hurry to the car."**

**It only took them a second to grab the suitcase, appearing beside the car where Goh, Sasame, **

**Hayate, Kanzen, and Himeno were waiting; Himeno breathing heavily. "Put it in the trunk and hop in already!" Goh ordered and the three quickly obeyed, Kanzen quickly putting the car in drive, speeding out of the Awayuki property.**

"**I'm here…" Shizuka walked into the gym, a teenager closing and locking the door behind her. "You all want to beat me up before my fight with 'the master' don't you? That's why you called me here…What is it about me that bothers you all so much?"**

"**Can't you guess?" one of the males spat, "your aura, there's something too weird about it, **_**you're**_** too weird. You're only seven years old and you're going to challenge the master, you think you're all powerful, don't you? There's no chance that you'll ever be able to beat him, you're still just a child. We're just going to prove to you how pathetic you really are."**

**The doors to the gym burst open, Yasashii panting slightly from within the doorway. "You guys are keeping Shizuka from her match, you can deal with her after, these are specific orders from my brother. Everyone stand down until he's had his way with her."**

"**Looks like you're lucky, you get to have the battle first before getting beaten up with us," one of the other males smirked slightly. "This should be fun."**

**The group went outside, being lead by Shizuka and Yasashii. The male from before stood awaiting them, his broad sword unsheathed and reflecting the beautiful glow of the night's full moon. He glanced over, smirking as he noticed Shizuka's eyes narrow faintly. "You've come, I'm surprised and rather honored. Young Shizuka, my challenger, if you win, I shall tell you my name, and you shall be the youngest known swords master to ever live."**

"**I'm not doing this for your title, you know that," she stated, voice holding no emotion as she unsheathed her sword, holding it confidently in her right hand. "Are you ready?"**

"**Heh…so you can already hold it with a single hand, I must say, I'm very impressed," he moved into a fighting position, the blade clamped in his two hands. "Begin when ready, child."**

"**You'll regret giving me this opportunity." She ran forward, smashing her blade roughly against his, forcing him back. Easily moving his blade, she slashed at his abdomen but he managed to recover faster than she had thought. He smashed the hilt of his blade into her stomach, quickly slashing her abdomen right after, kicking the wound roughly.**

"**You've become stronger, but I doubt it's enough to beat me," he smirked, charging at her, blade at the ready.**

"**Being cocky, are we?" she was suddenly behind him, slashing his back before kicking him roughly. He fell to the ground, coughing slightly. "Are you done already?"**

"**I-I've never been slashed before…it hurts…" he gasped, clawing at the ground. "I-it hurts…"**

**Shizuka stared down at him blankly, "I've won, stand and tell me your name, I'll help you…"**

"**N-no, stay the hell away from me! You monster…" he quickly stood up, slashing her across the face. "I'm not telling you my name, not ever! You're just…you're evil, that's what you are! I remember my parents telling me that evil has a specific aura and we can even sense it, so you must be evil… Stay away from me!" He slashed at her again, but she blocked him easily, glancing around her as the others began to surround them.**

"**You still have us to deal with," one of them growled, "leave him alone and go back to the gym unless you want the teachers to know what happened here."**

**Shizuka looked at each of their individual faces, most of them angered or frightened. She sheathed her sword and looked at the ground, heading back toward the school. She'd end up getting home later than originally planned, she could just hope that her parents wouldn't send the others after her.**

**The sudden crying of a baby broke the heavy silence that had been smothering them, Kanzen walking out of the room with a proud expression on his face. The seven males each gave him an anxious expression, wondering not only about the baby but if Himeno was alright as well.**

"**Alright, so Himeno's doing fine," Kanzen informed them, knowing that they wanted to know that before the gender of the baby. "And you're now the proud guardians of twin boys."**

"**Yeah! That's great, we'll have a couple of guys to teach some tricks to!" Mannen cheered. "And we can keep them from becoming depressed and so secluded like we couldn't do with Shizuka."**

"**We're hoping you can do it," Kanzen smiled down at him, gently ruffling his hair. "You'll have to wait a couple of years for that though, and you can see the babies in a few minutes, Himeno wanted some time alone with them first. If you would excuse me, I'm going to call home and see how Shizuka's doing."**

"**Twin boys, that's awesome," Goh laughed, "we can teach them how to be young knights, kind of like what you've been doing to Shizuka, Hayate, except we can all train them and not worry about them getting hurt."**

"**I'm sure we'd all be able to train Shizuka without worrying about it too," Kei reminded them, "women can be stronger than men at times, so don't think so poorly of her, especially since she needs us so much."**

"**Yeah, but Kei, Shizuka's just a girl, too young to be trained with all of our strength, we could end up hurting her really bad and then Himeno would be mad at us. Girls cry more than boys do when it comes to pain," Hajime stated.**

"**That may be true, but they can deal with more pain than boys can," he retorted, voice holding light annoyance. "You're too young to fully understand what I'm talking about anyway, just forget about it for now."**

**Kanzen slowly walked over to them, worry clear in his eyes, "guys…the maid said that Shizuka hadn't returned home yet, she said that she hadn't even called. I'm worried about her…she said not to send anyone after her, that if she didn't come back home tonight it just meant that they were sleeping over at the school, but…"**

**The group froze, giving each other nervous expressions. "Damn," Hayate muttered, "Sasame, come with me, everyone else stay here and don't let Himeno know anything, we're going to check on Shizuka."**

"**Right," they nodded slowly, looking over the room Himeno was in. It shouldn't be too hard to keep her off the topic of Shizuka; after all she did just have two more kids. They would be able to keep her talking about their names and what she had planned for the two until Hayate and Sasame returned. Who were they kidding? Himeno wasn't that easy to fool, she'd know something was wrong the moment they changed the subject.**

"**We'll try not to take too long, so don't worry about anything," Sasame assured them before he and Hayate left the hospital, quickly running in the direction of the school**

**The doors to the gym burst open, the two Leafé Knights stopping in their tracks as they took in the scene before them. Blood was all over the floor, a sheathed sword on the far side of the gym, someone laying in the middle of it, ropes tightly tied around her wrists, a handkerchief tied around her mouth. Her eyes were closed and she was silent, her chest moving slowly as she forced herself to breath.**

"**Shizuka!" The two yelled, running to her sides, the two knelt down beside her. **

**Sasame removed the handkerchief from her mouth as Hayate began untying her wrists. "Shizuka, what did they do to you…" he questioned her, his voice just as soothing as always. **

"**I fought with Yasashii-sensei's older brother…" she replied weakly, keeping her eyes closed. "I won…I won so easily and he called me a monster…said I was evil…the others that fight under him, they forced me to come here and took turns," she winced slightly as she moved, causing the large puddle of blood beneath her to grow even larger. "They took turns beating me up," she managed after a few seconds of trying to catch her breath.**

"**Dammit Shizuka, you shouldn't have come here," Hayate growled, his voice holding slight anger. "We have to get you to the hospital before you lose anymore blood."**

"**No…I can't, they won't…they won't help me anyway," she shook her head slowly, "just give me some bandages and I can deal with it."**

"**Shizuka, don't argue with us right now, you're hurt very bad and we need to get you help fast," Sasame tried to reason with her, his voice extremely calm and kind. "Please Shizuka…"**

"**No Sasame…" she forced herself up, wrapping an arm carefully around her abdomen, walking slowly toward the gym door. "I have to deal with it…on my…own…" her vision blurred and she fell forward, being gently caught by Hayate before hitting the ground. Her eyes closed slowly, her body becoming limp in his arms. **

"**I'm taking her home, Sasame, tell the others that she's fine, just sleeping," Hayate told him, voice strangely calm. "Go Sasame, Himeno can't know about this, not now that she's just had her babies."**

"**Alright," he sighed, "although if Shizuka ends up dying because we never took her to the hospital, it will be your fault." **

**The two nodded faintly to each other before vanishing to their separate duties. **

**Several Days Later…**

**Himeno yawned, rubbing her eyes as she walked toward Shizuka's room. Sasame suddenly blocked her path, forcing her to stop. "What's wrong, Sasame? Why won't you let me go to her room, and where's Hayate been? The two of you have been acting so weird lately. What's going on?"**

"**Nothing's going on Himeno, Shizuka's just tired and she asked us to keep you from waking her, that's all," he replied, voice steady and calm.**

"**Why do you have to have such a kind voice, damn, makes me want to trust nothing's going on," she sighed, "it's so hard to ever believe you're lying."**

"**That's because I'm not lying, Himeno, there's nothing to worry about so you might want to go help Kanzen with the others."**

"**Alright, fine, I'll leave Shizuka to you and Hayate, seeing as though I have no other choice." She turned, walking into the large kitchen, ducking as a pancake came flying toward her head. "Mannen, stop acting like a little kid, you and I both know that you're not!"**

"**Sorry Himeno, I must've missed," he called, his voice innocent.**

**Sasame sighed, walking over to stand beside the door to Shizuka's room. It had been nearly a week since they had just barely managed to save Shizuka's life and she still hadn't awakened. Lucky for them summer break had just started, giving them another reason as to why she needed the extra rest. He knew they couldn't keep Himeno from checking on her for much longer, the others didn't even know the truth behind what had happened that night. It wouldn't be long before one of them decided to check in as well.**

**Inside the room, Hayate was sitting beside Shizuka's bed, watching as she slept, her breathing jagged and weak. He had to change her bandages several times a day, causing him to wonder if he should actually take her to the hospital to see how she was doing. She was just a child, how could anyone treat her so horribly?**

**Shizuka stirred slightly, her eyes slowly opening. "Where…? Oh…home…I'm home…" she muttered, staring vacantly at the ceiling. Her vision finally began to become clearer, causing her to notice Hayate's anxious face staring down at her. "…Hayate…? Did I faint from blood loss yesterday? Is that what happened…? Who brought me back here…? Does-?"**

"**Quiet, you shouldn't be talking so much, you've been out for a really long time, Shizuka," his voice was surprisingly soft, causing her to automatically stop talking. "You've been unconscious for nearly a week, I've been taking care of you and Sasame has kept the others away. You're still badly hurt so don't try to move or anything yet. Are you thirsty?"**

"**A little…" she admitted, "but…I'm not sure if I can really drink anything right now…it hurts to even breathe."**

"**Then stop talking and go back to sleep, you need to heal as quickly as possible and in order for that to happen you need rest," he sighed. "Sasame and I will do the best we can to keep everyone away and ignorant to what happened that night, but you have to do your part too. Oh, I'll have some news for you once you're better too."**

"**What kind of news?"**

"**Get some sleep Shizuka, and you'll know soon enough."**

"**They were born the night I was attacked?" Shizuka stared at Hayate and Sasame with a slightly blank expression. "Well, at least there was a beautiful full moon."**

"**You'll probably remember what happened to you that day forever now that you know your brothers were born that day," Sasame sighed, "it's sad, to think that your siblings were born on a day that you were dealt so much damage."**

"**No, I think it's just about right, Sasame," she stated, "had they been born any other day, I would have been really surprised. I'm glad they were born that day, I'll be able to remember their birthday easily now."**

"**You turn even the worst situations into ones that seem so bright," he gave her a slightly sad look, "normally it would be a good thing, but in your case…"**

"**In my case all the worse situations happen to me and I don't seem to mind it too much, I just let everything pass me by. That's what you meant, right?" She gave him a light smile before getting out of bed, her smaller wounds were all healed, the more serious ones still stung her a bit, but they were healing at least. The scratch on her face was still there and more than likely would scar, giving her yet another reminder of what happened that day.**

"**You better go meet your brothers, you've been locked up in this room for two weeks now and they've yet to even hear your name," Hayate reminded her, opening the door. "I'll try to figure out some excuse as to why you have that scratch on your face."**

"**Thanks Hayate, Sasame, you two really are the best," she bowed slightly before walking out of her room and down the hall into the living room. "Morning Mother, Father, everyone."**

"**Morning Shizuka," Kei stated casually, sipping his coffee while the others stared at the seven year old in surprise. **

"**Shizuka!" Mannen ran over to her followed by Hajime and Shin, the three giving her a hug, "man, you've been in your room for such a long time, I didn't think you'd ever come out."**

"**Sorry for causing worry, I've been really tired," she gently hugged them back, smiling faintly.**

"**It's just good to have you around again," Goh smirked, ruffling her hair. **

"**It's good to be back around you guys," she admitted and knew it was true. Even though she had Hayate and Sasame with her those weeks she'd been stuck in bed, it was better being around all of them again. **

"**What happened to your face?" Himeno was staring at the long cut across her daughter's face. "Where did you get that?"**

"**Oh, this…?" Shizuka pointed to the cut, "it's nothing, I was just walking through the forest and a tree branch caught me. I wasn't paying attention, so don't get mad at nature, it was just minding it's own business when I came a long and mistakenly hit it with my face."**

"**Alright then…" she gave her a concerned look, soon sighing. "Well, you missed the birth of your brothers, Hakumei and Hinote."**

"**I heard, sorry for missing out, Mother."**

"**It's okay, it seems you really needed the rest, Shizuka, I'm glad you're okay now though."**

"**Yeah…so am I…"**


	4. Fourteenth Birthday

Author's notes:

Wow, I can't believe I hadn't realized until _just now_ that I actually repeated one of the chapters instead of giving you a new one! It's been so long since I've uploaded anything you must be angry with me by now ^^' I'm sorry about that! I haven't been able to find time to upload or work on my fanfictions (yeah, I actually have more than one but I haven't uploaded the other ones yet...). Since the summer is coming I'm going to try and get some new chapters done and up so I hope you guys look forward to it~!

_**Fourteenth Birthday…**_

** "Happy birthday, Shizuka!" Hakumei and Hinote, now six and a half years old, beamed at their older sister. "We're almost half your age again!"**

** "Yes you are," she smiled, ruffling their short, messy brown hair, their maroon eyes holding slight pride. "It'll still be a while though," she reminded them, "now go on and play with your friends, okay?"**

** "Speaking of our friends…" Hakumei paused for a second, trying to find a nice way to question this. "Um, where are your friends? This is your birthday, Shizuka, so how come you don't have any friends over instead of Hinote and my friends being here?"**

** "To tell the truth, I don't have any friends, none other than Hayate and them, and you two of course," she admitted, voice soft. "So, I decided that since I don't have any friends, I should let you guys invite your friends so you can have some fun, alright?"**

** "Shizuka…how come you don't have any friends?" Hinote questioned innocently. **

** "Because people don't like me, that's all."**

** "But you're so nice, why would anyone not like you?"**

** "I'm not sure, Hinote, they just don't I guess," she sighed, "now go on, go play with your friends, I'm going for a walk."**

** Shizuka had let her hair grow out over the years, it was now down to her elbows, although she always kept it pulled back into a ponytail. Her bangs were long, slightly covering her eyes, but were combed slightly to the right. She laid down on one of the cold, white benches, putting an arm over her forehead as she closed her eyes.**

** "Feeling down about your birthday?" Goh's voice sounded slightly smug, "come on Shizuka, you know this is the year you get to find out more about us, aren't you excited at all?"**

** "Sure, I'm excited," she muttered, stifling a yawn. "Just tired, didn't get much sleep last night."**

** "C'mon Goh, leave her alone," Mannen sighed, "we have stuff we need to do Shizuka, we'll see you tonight."**

** She didn't even bother moving as she spoke, voice slightly saddened, "alright, I'll see you and the others then, don't you dare be late."**

** "We wouldn't even dream of it," Kei assured her, their presence suddenly vanishing.**

** "Why didn't you go with them, Hayate?" Shizuka questioned, still unmoving. "Aren't you supposed to help them prepare for tonight?"**

** "I am, but there's something bugging you, isn't there?" His voice was surprisingly calm and gentle, causing Shizuka to open one of her eyes slightly. He was standing beside her, looking in the opposite direction, his hair moving gently with the breeze. It was weird, but at that moment, Shizuka realized how good looking her guardian really was, and subconsciously kicked herself.**

** "So…why aren't you helping them? I'm not that important, for you to go and stay behind."**

** "You're important Shizuka, stop talking like that," he sighed faintly, sitting down gently beside her. "Listen, you're going to be learning something tonight that will probably change your life forever, are you sure you don't want to get anything off your chest before then?"**

** "I thought Sasame was the one I was supposed to talk to? Besides Hayate, I'm older now…I can handle everything that's bothering me. Thanks for offering to hear me out, but I don't want to waste your time."**

** She heard him sigh before his presence vanished as well, giving her the feeling of absolute solidarity. She was completely alone right now, her brothers were busy with their friends, her guardians were off preparing for something, and her parents were probably helping them out with it too. In that moment of sudden loneliness, she felt its presence, something she had never sensed before.**

** Quickly sitting up, she kept her eyes closed, paying close attention to this new feeling. Something about it was bothering her, but she couldn't understand why. When it came to the presence of the others, her father, brothers, their friends, and any one else she had ever come in contact to-excluding her mother and her seven guardians – all had the same, innocent feeling. Her mother had a strange presence, slightly different than her siblings and father, but not by much. It was her guardians that had a much different feel to them, their presence was warm, kind, and gentle, even protecting. The feeling she was getting right now was much different, it was cold and painful, and there was something inside her that just wanted to find what it was and ****destroy it, as if she had always been meant to. **

** Opening her eyes, she stood up, surveying the area carefully. Whatever she was sensing felt close, and deciding that she had better deal with this on her own, she started off toward the east, making her way ever closer to the unknown danger. As she had thought, none of her guardians were around, she hadn't felt their presence anywhere close and now she felt as though the great evil she was throwing herself blindly towards was suffocating her. Luckily she had her trusty blade sheathed at her side and she easily continued forward, brushing off any feeling of anxiousness. **

** Stopping beside a bush she pushed some of the brush aside, what looked to be a scaly circular shell laying in its protection. The small creature before it was what was giving off the strange aura, but she couldn't figure out why. It looked harmless enough, but then its yellow eye opened to look at her, its pupil sharp. A suddenly pulsation ran through her, being caused by the creature just inches away. What was this thing…?**

** The creature was suddenly encased in wind, being lulled back to sleep, causing Shizuka to quickly look over at the person behind her. She hadn't felt his presence before, being too consumed by the one that had been before her. Hayate stood behind her, the strange creature looking to be asleep in the same ball of calming wind that it had been surrounded by. Shin was standing beside him, a strange necklace, that Shizuka hadn't noticed before, around his neck. He had muttered something and the creature was pulled into the necklace by some sort of strange vein.**

** Staring at them, Shizuka stayed completely silent, partly waiting for them to say something first and partly too stunned to try and talk. For some reason what had happened never surprised her, it seemed so…familiar somehow. Hayate had whispered something to Shin who had walked back toward the mansion as Hayate slowly made his way toward Shizuka's still form. She took an involuntary step backwards, causing her guardian to hesitate before continuing toward her.**

** "Shizuka, relax…" his voice was soft for once, causing the young teen to freeze. Taking this opportunity to get closer, he wrapped his arms gently around her, trying to keep her calm. "Listen, everything's going to be explained to you tonight, alright? You just have to keep yourself from falling apart before then. Can I trust you to stay here by yourself until everything's ready?"**

** She stayed quiet for a minute, causing Hayate to move back slightly, giving her a concerned look. Slowly she nodded, a small forced smile spreading onto her face. "You can trust me, Hayate, you know that…"**

** He sighed, letting go of her. "Alright, that means you'd better still be here when we come to get you later. Can you promise me that much?" **

** She gazed into his beautiful deep blue eyes, watching as his long, brilliant moonlight hair was moved slowly by the wind. Snapping out of it she nodded, "um, yeah, I promise, I'll be right here…"**

** "Good," he turned away from her, jogging the distance back to the house. Shizuka watched cautiously, why would he jog to the house? He'd gotten to her so fast when the creature had suddenly opened its eye, there was no way that he could have gotten to her just by running. There was always something that felt slightly off about her guardians, but she had never questioned them, after all, they were the only friends she'd ever had.**

** Turning away as Hayate had become out of vision, she started toward the road. To her, promises could be broken, but when you gave someone your word…you had to stick to it. No one noticed as she slipped out of the gate, walking toward town. It was like any other expedition she took, receiving glares from strangers, children keeping their distance, dog walkers having a hard time trying to keep their dogs under control as they barked and growled at her as she passed. Suddenly she felt the presence much like the one she'd just encountered at her house, her eyes widening slightly. This creature's aura was much stronger than the one she had felt before.**

** Running forward, Shizuka shoved through the crowds, racing toward the strange aura, being lead to a strange ally. Slowing down, she continued into the dark area, the pulsation that hit her nearly sent her back, but she forced herself forward. Among the darkened mist she noticed the form of someone laying still on the ground, her eyes widening as she recognized her to be one of her fellow classmates. **

** "Nina, Nina are you alright?" Shizuka rushed toward her, nearly being hit by what looked to be some type of watery tentacle. She had just jumped out of the way in time, the ground in which she had just been standing on was now crushed. Turning abruptly she could barely make out the dark creature that was not only giving off the strong aura but the dark mist as well. **

** Reaching for her sword, her eyes narrowed. She knew that her simple blade wouldn't do much damage against this creature, but she still had to give it a try. Something within her was urging her to fight this creature, as if it were her duty or something. Stepping forward she unsheathed her blade, standing prepared to fight this strange and familiar being. Once again she felt the presence of one of her guardians and was suddenly pulled back, someone else grabbing Nina's unconscious form.**

** "You idiot, I told you to stay back at the house," Hayate growled, his grip on her arm tightening. "You weren't supposed to learn about these things until the hour you were born." His glaring eyes moved from her back to the shadowy beast, narrowing even further. "Dammit, this one's hatched fully and we don't have a Prétear to help us fight it…" **

** "Hayate," Sasame appeared beside his comrade, Nina's unconscious form laying limply in his arms. "Should we get Mannen, Hajime, and Shin to take these two back to the mansion so we can fight the creature off? They might be able to get Himeno here to help us."**

** "I'm not so sure Himeno will be willing to leave the party, she has a house full of children over there to look after," Hayate's voice was rough. "We'll just have to protect them, we have no other choice."**

** "You sure about this, Hayate?" Goh questioned, standing prepared to fight at his other side. "This could turn into one hell of a brawl and we don't need them getting hurt, especially Shizuka since it's her birthday and all."**

** Hayate hesitated a moment, "what is there for us to do? There's no way that Himeno will prét with us, so what are we supposed to do?" he glanced over at his comrades, hoping that one of them could help come up with a decision. They each gave him the same, unsure expression, causing him to sigh. "Hajime, Mannen, Shin, stay back with Shizuka and the unconscious girl, keep them safe from any attacks, alright?"**

** The three nodded, Mannen grinning slightly. "We can handle it, Hayate, don't you worry. We won't let either of 'em get hurt!" **

** "Are you sure that's the best idea?" Kei questioned lightly, "we need a Prétear in order to take this thing down. We **_**need**_** Himeno."**

** "No. We don't." Hayate stated firmly, "We can handle this, now let's take care of this thing!" The older Leaf****é**** Knights ran forward, hitting the beast with their specific elements. The creature didn't even flinch, easily hitting them back, sending them crashing roughly to the ground. **

** "We need to help them," Shizuka whispered, "we **_**have **_**to…" She watched as they tried to attack again, receiving the same reactions and treatment as they had the first time. Something inside her was telling her that she had to go to them, that she had to help, that she **_**could**_** help them. Walking forward she was pulled back abruptly by Mannen.**

** "Hey, what do you think you're doin? We have to protect you, which means no tryin to help the others! They'll be alright, just stay here where it's safe," Mannen almost pleaded his last sentence, knowing that if Shizuka wanted to help them, the three younger Leafé Knights wouldn't be able to stop her. **

** "I can't do that, Mannen, something's telling me that I need to fight," her blue eyes held a serious gaze as she watched her guardians being hit back again and again, some of them gaining gashes on their abdomens from the reoccurring actions. "I can't just stand by while they're getting hurt like this; I have to do something…"**

** "Oh…fine, but you're the one that's gonna have to deal with Hayate afterwords," he sighed, putting a hand through his hair. "We'll keep this girl safe while you try and help them, so don't worry about us."**

** "Right," she smiled down at him before turning and running toward the chaos before her. "Guys! You can't do this alone, let me help!" she already had her sword unsheathed, noticing the horrified expressions of her guardians as she raced toward the creature that was causing them so much trouble. Jumping up, a strange glow consumed her sword and she slashed at one of the tentacles that were rushing toward her, cutting it clean off.**

** The creature let out a strange cry, whipping another of its watery tentacles at the young girl that was attacking it. She dodged in mid-air, landing roughly on her side. Not having enough time to get out of the way of the creature's next attack, she closed her eyes tightly, awaiting the impact that she knew was inevitable to come. However, to her surprise, it didn't. **

** The sound of tearing flesh made its way to her, causing her to open her eyes quickly. Standing protectively in front of her was Kei. Blood was trickling from a wound in his stomach, even more splattering out as the creature removed its tentacle from his body. Kei coughed roughly, blood making its way down the side of his mouth. **

** "Kei!" Shizuka's eyes widened and she got up quickly, ignoring the sharp pain in her side. "Kei, I'm sorry…are you alright?" she glanced from him to the creature that had caused her guardian such pain, her grip on the hilt of her sword becoming tighter. "You should have let it hurt me for being such a fool…" she stepped around Kei toward the being, walking casually.**

** "You idiot!" Hayate yelled, beside her in a second. "Isn't the pain of one of us enough to make you see that you can't take this thing on?" Grabbing for her wrist, he missed and their hands touched, what seemed to be a bright ball of electricity sparking between them, forcing him back. His eyes widened as the other Leafé Knights gasped faintly around them; they had found their new Prétear. **


End file.
